School board member challenges superintendent’s plan, raises community concerns

Governing Board member Tim White recently started drawing attention to himself when he challenged the recommendation of the district’s superintendent not to renew four employment contracts of district principals and directors (see related story).

White argued to retain the administrators but was only able to retain one with support from some parents and teachers.

White moved to end MUSD Superintendent Dr. John Flores’s contract as superintendent at Wednesday’s school board meeting. The motion did not pass.

White said that he does not have anything personal against Flores, but that their “business styles are different.”

Flores said that he disagrees with White’s idea that schools need to be run like businesses.

He said there are two major differences between schools and businesses: One is that the goal of a school is not to make a profit, and, two, the variables that go into making a good consumer are different from nurturing a good student.

The recent controversy about recommendations by Flores not to renew four administrative contracts is where tensions started to build between Flores and White.

The differences between these men do not end with business theories.

White said that Flores is not doing his job. He said that Flores has never provided the board with a direction to go in or an organizational chart.

“At the very least he should have given every board member, every teacher, what direction he is going in,” White said.

Flores responded to this charge and said that he did provide a direction for the district. He said one of his first actions as superintendent was creating a School Impact Study (SIS) for the district. It was near the completion of this year’s SIS that Flores made his recommendations to not renew the administrative contracts. He wouldn’t comment whether this was the reason he made his recommendation.

In addition Flores said that before he came to Maricopa there was no set curriculum and now there are standards in place as well as emergency plans.

One thing the two men agree on is that teachers should receive more pay; however, where that money is going to come from is not yet known. White said that it should come from the current budget, which may result in pulling resources from other areas. Flores is hoping that the state legislature will authorize more money. He said that Arizona’s funding process for schools is what hurts districts in acquiring and retaining quality teachers.